heavy bumper repair, guidance needed

[jeremyuhh]

i want to repair my front bumper, as it is the only portion of the car that has discoloration.


looks like it was previously painted. it has a ton of "spider-webbing," large crack and chips in the paint, exposed primer/sealer, and some pitting.

i know this isnt something i can just sand and repaint. ive done a couple bumpers before. is this a job that can be done at home, if so, where do i begin? or would it be best to get it done professionally? If thats the case, id just wait till i get the whole car painted, but i want to at least have my bumper looking decent, hence why im asking for guidance.


any input is appreciated. thanks

 

[bondofreak]

Remove the bumper and completely strip with SEM plastic bumper stripper following the directions. Prob take more than one application. Then you'll see what you have. Let us see too with pics. Once the paint and primer is removed you will have a solid foundation to move forward on.

 

[jeremyuhh]

Remove the bumper and completely strip with SEM plastic bumper stripper following the directions. Prob take more than one application. Then you'll see what you have. Let us see too with pics. Once the paint and primer is removed you will have a solid foundation to move forward on.

ill give that a try. where can i purchase SEM plastic bumper stripper? never seen that at my local auto shops.

 

[bondofreak]

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/p-15362-19082.aspx

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/p-15661-19533.aspx

 

[TAZ]

That would be a good start. I have found the brush on stripper is more potent than the spray, but hopefully that will remove most of the paint for you.
You will then need to sand the rest off.

Post pics like BF said. Then we'll let you know the next step.

 

[bondofreak]

Some of those brush on and aerosol strippers are for metal only. The will penetrate into the plastics/urethanes and bleed back later haunting you with blisters.

 

[jeremyuhh]

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/p-15362-19082.aspx

https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/p-15661-19533.aspx

Which would you recommend ? im learning toward the $17.99 one or i can get two of the XXX. do they both work similarly? if so id rather get 2 of the XXX

 

[TAZ]

See if they show the directions somewhere. I'd make sure that you can use them on urethane bumpers.

Some other ideas....

You can always just sand it....to do this is just buy some 40, 80, 18 DA paper and go to town. Go easy with the 40 as this will chew up the bumper pretty quickly. You can get most of the paint off with the 80...stop RIGHT before you start really digging into the bumper then switch to 80.

You might want to try blowing that off before anything. Some of the paint may come off (chances are slim, but you never know).
Try blowing it off at abut 100-140 psi

Check with a local 'media' blaster and see if they can strip it for you. DO NOT have it sandblasted.
Make sure with the person doing it, that the process will not harm the bumper like warping or pitting.

 

[jeremyuhh]

See if they show the directions somewhere. I'd make sure that you can use them on urethane bumpers.

Some other ideas....

You can always just sand it....to do this is just buy some 40, 80, 18 DA paper and go to town. Go easy with the 40 as this will chew up the bumper pretty quickly. You can get most of the paint off with the 80...stop RIGHT before you start really digging into the bumper then switch to 80.

You might want to try blowing that off before anything. Some of the paint may come off (chances are slim, but you never know).
Try blowing it off at abut 100-140 psi

Check with a local 'media' blaster and see if they can strip it for you. DO NOT have it sandblasted.
Make sure with the person doing it, that the process will not harm the bumper like warping or pitting.

so i sand until i see all yellow? basically sand off all the clear, top coat, and primer? i dont have access to a compressor capable of 100psi. and if i were to take it to a shop, at that point id rather just wait to come across another bumper or just buy one. i want to avoid spending over $50/60 to repair this bumper. is that feasible ?

 

[bondofreak]

Good Luck on 50-60 bucks man.
Doing it yourself will be tough to keep it at that price even hand sanding (uuh!).
The AP, Sealer, and paint will be more than that.

 

[TAZ]

I agree....$50 is way low. If you do the prep and paint yourself. Probably looking at about $175-$300 in materials.
This is if you went with a basecoat/clearcoat and you use a 2 part primer.